Many companies and institutes are making group discussion as
the first criteria for screening the candidates for face-to-face
interviews.
And there is reason too for giving huge importance for Group Discussion. First thing Group Discussion is used for mass elimination! And second thing group discussion selection criteria’s are based on actual company requirements.
Communication and Group Discussion skill are two relevant soft skills that are must for software testers.
Why group discussion should be the first criteria for selecting software testers?
Software tester requires communication with different people like team members, managers and customers. So interpersonal skill is very important for tester.
Yesterday one of our readers mailed me about her problem. She is very good at work but when it comes to taking credit for her work, someone else is taking the credit.
Why this is happening? She is lagging in interpersonal skills. Lagging in communication. She might be proficient in many skills, but what if she isn’t able to communicate her thoughts in front of her seniors or evaluators? Simply, she will lose the credits of her own work!
Making a good impression while speaking in meetings or interviews is the basic skill every professional should have. Let’s see how you can make this impression.
What skills are judged in group discussion?
A Group Discussion consists of:
Knowledge of the subject under discussion and clarity of ideas are important. Knowledge comes from consistent reading on various topics ranging from science and technology to politics. In-depth knowledge makes one confident and enthusiastic and this in turn, makes one sound convincing and confident.
Leadership and Coordinating Capabilities
The basic aim of a group discussion is to judge a candidate's leadership qualities. The examiner withdraws and becomes a silent spectator once the discussion starts. A candidate should display tactfulness, skill, understanding and knowledge on varied topics, enterprise, forcefulness and other leadership qualities to motivate and influence other candidates who may be almost equally competent.
Exchange of Thoughts
A group discussion is an exchange of thoughts and ideas among members of a group. These discussions are held for selecting personnel in organizations where there is a high level of competition. The number of participants in a group can vary between 8 and 15. Mostly a topic or a situation is given to group members who have to discuss it within 10 to 20 minutes.
The purpose is to get an idea about candidates in a short time and make assessments about their skills, which normally cannot be evaluated in an interview. These skills may be team membership, leadership skills, listening and articulation skills.
A note is made of your contributions to the discussion, comprehension of the main idea, the rapport you strike, patience, assertion, accommodation, amenability, etc. Body language and eye contact too are important points which are to be considered. .
Addressing the Group as a Whole
In a group discussion it is not necessary to address anyone by name. Even otherwise you may not know everyone's names. It better to address the group as a whole.
Address the person farthest from you. If he can hear you everyone else too can. Needless to add, as for the interview, attend the group discussion in formal dress. The language used should also be formal, not the language used in normal conversations. For instance, words and phrases like "yar", "chalta hai", "CP", "I dunno", etc. are out. This is not to say you should use a high sounding, pedantic language. Avoiding both, just use formal, plain and simple language. Hinglish, (mixture of Hindi and English) should be discarded.
Confidence and coolness while presenting your viewpoint are of help. See that you do not keep repeating a point. Do not use more words than necessary. Do not be superfluous. Try to be specific. Do not exaggerate.
Thorough Preparation
Start making preparations for interview and group discussions right away, without waiting till the eleventh hour, this is, if and when called for them. Then the time left may not be adequate. It is important to concentrate on subject knowledge and general awareness. Hence, the prime need for thorough preparation. Remember, the competition is very tough. Only 460 candidates make it to the final list from 2.75 lakh civil service aspirants each year.
It may so happen that you are called for interviews and group discussions from three or four organizations but are not selected by any. The reason obviously lies in your not being well-prepared.
In a group discussion you may be given a topic and asked to express your views on it. Or in a case study GD, students have to read a case study and suggest ways of tackling the problem. For this you should have a good general knowledge, need to be abreast with current affairs, should regularly read newspapers and magazines. Your group behaviour and communication skills are on test, i.e. how you convince the others and how clearly you are able to express your points of view. You should be articulate, generate ideas, not sound boring, should allow others to speak, and adopt a stand on a given subject. During the course of the GD this stand can even be changed, giving the impression that you are open to accommodate others' viewpoints.
Additional marks may be given for starting or concluding the discussion.
Points to Remember
·
Knowledge is strength. A candidate with good reading habits has more chances of success. In other words, sound knowledge on different topics like politics, finance, economy, science and technology is helpful.
·
Power to convince effectively is another quality that makes you stand out among others.
·
Clarity in speech and expression is yet another essential quality.
·
If you are not sure about the topic of discussion, it is better not to initiate. Lack of knowledge or wrong approach creates a bad impression. Instead, you might adopt the wait and watch attitude. Listen attentively to others, may be you would be able to come up with a point or two later.
·
A GD is a formal occasion where slang is to avoided.
·
A GD is not a debating stage. Participants should confine themselves to expressing their viewpoints. In the second part of the discussion candidates can exercise their choice in agreeing, disagreeing or remaining neutral.
·
Language use should be simple, direct and straight forward.
·
Don't interrupt a speaker when the session is on. Try to score by increasing your size, not by cutting others short.
·
Maintain rapport with fellow participants. Eye contact plays a major role. Non-verbal gestures, such as listening intently or nodding while appreciating someone's viewpoint speak of you positively.
·
Communicate with each and every candidate present. While speaking don't keep looking at a single member. Address the entire group in such a way that everyone feels you are speaking to him or her.
GD Tips
1. Initiation Techniques
2. Body of the group discussion
3. Summarization/ Conclusion
·
Initiating a GD is a high profit-high loss strategy.
When you initiate a GD, you not only grab the opportunity to speak, you also grab the attention of the examiner and your fellow candidates.
If you can make a favourable first impression with your content and communication skills after you initiate a GD, it will help you sail through the discussion.
But if you initiate a GD and stammer/ stutter/ quote wrong facts and figures, the damage might be irreparable.
If you initiate a GD impeccably but don't speak much after that, it gives the impression that you started the GD for the sake of starting it or getting those initial kitty of points earmarked for an initiator!
When you start a GD, you are responsible for putting it into the right perspective or framework. So initiate one only if you have in-depth knowledge about the topic at hand.
·
Different techniques to initiate a GD and make a good first impression:
i. Quotes
ii. Definition
iii. Question
iv. Shock statement
v. Facts, figures and statistics
vi. Short story
vii.General statement
i. Quotes
Quotes are an effective way of initiating a GD.
If the topic of a GD is: Should the Censor Board be abolished?, you could start with a quote like, 'Hidden apples are always sweet'.
For a GD topic like, Customer is King, you could quote Sam (Wall-mart) Walton's famous saying, 'There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company -- from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.'
ii. Definition
Start a GD by defining the topic or an important term in the topic.
For example, if the topic of the GD is Advertising is a Diplomatic Way of Telling a Lie, why not start the GD by defining advertising as, 'Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services through mass media like newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor'?
For a topic like The Malthusian Economic Prophecy is no longer relevant, you could start by explaining the definition of the Malthusian Economic Prophecy.
iii. Question
Asking a question is an impact way of starting a GD.
It does not signify asking a question to any of the candidates in a GD so as to hamper the flow. It implies asking a question, and answering it yourself.
Any question that might hamper the flow of a GD or insult a participant or play devil's advocate must be discouraged.
Questions that promote a flow of ideas are always appreciated.
For a topic like, Should India go to war with Pakistan, you could start by asking, 'What does war bring to the people of a nation? We have had four clashes with Pakistan. The pertinent question is: what have we achieved?'
iv. Shock statement
Initiating a GD with a shocking statement is the best way to grab immediate attention and put forth your point.
If a GD topic is, The Impact of Population on the Indian Economy, you could start with, 'At the centre of the Indian capital stands a population clock that ticks away relentlessly. It tracks 33 births a minute, 2,000 an hour, 48,000 a day. Which calculates to about 12 million every year. That is roughly the size of Australia. As a current political slogan puts it, 'Nothing's impossible when 1 billion Indians work together'.'
v. Facts, figures and statistics
If you decide to initiate your GD with facts, figure and statistics, make sure to quote them accurately.
Approximation is allowed in macro level figures, but micro level figures need to be correct and accurate.
For example, you can say, approximately 70 per cent of the Indian population stays in rural areas (macro figures, approximation allowed).
But you cannot say 30 states of India instead of 28 (micro figures, no approximations).
Stating wrong facts works to your disadvantage.
For a GD topic like, China, a Rising Tiger, you could start with, 'In 1983, when China was still in its initial stages of reform and opening up, China's real use of Foreign Direct Investment only stood at $636 million. China actually utilized $60 billion of FID in 2004, which is almost 100 times that of its 1983 statistics."
vi. Short story
Use a short story in a GD topic like, Attitude is Everything.
This can be initiated with, 'A child once asked a balloon vendor, who was selling helium gas-filled balloons, whether a blue-colored balloon will go as high in the sky as a green-colored balloon. The balloon vendor told the child, it is not the color of the balloon but what is inside it that makes it go high.'
vii. General statement
Use a general statement to put the GD in proper perspective.
For example, if the topic is, Should Sonia Gandhi be the prime minister of India?, you could start by saying, 'Before jumping to conclusions like, 'Yes, Sonia Gandhi should be', or 'No, Sonia Gandhi should not be', let's first find out the qualities one needs to be a a good prime minister of India. Then we can compare these qualities with those that Mrs. Gandhi possesses. This will help us reach the conclusion in a more objective and effective manner.'
Summarization/ Conclusion
·
Most GD do not really have conclusions. A conclusion is where the whole group decides in favor or against the topic.
·
But every GD is summarized. You can summaries what the group has discussed in the GD in a nutshell.
Keep the following points in mind while summarizing a discussion:
1. Avoid raising new points.
2. Avoid stating only your viewpoint.
3. Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the GD.
4. Keep it brief and concise.
5.It must incorporate all the important points that came out during the GD.
6.If the examiner asks you to summaries a GD, it means the GD has come to an end.
7.Do not add anything once the GD has been summarized.
Do’s and Don’ts of Group discussion:
1) Keep eye contact while speaking:
Do not look at the evaluators only. Keep eye contact with every team member while speaking.
2) Initiate the GD:
Initiating the GD is a big plus. But keep in mind – Initiate the group discussion only when you understood the GD topic clearly and have some topic knowledge. Speaking without proper subject knowledge is bad impression.
3) Allow others to speak:
Do not interrupt anyone in-between while speaking. Even if you don’t agree with his/her thoughts do not snatch their chance to speak. Instead make some notes and clear the points when it’s your turn.
4) Speak clearly:
Speak politely and clearly. Use simple and understandable words while speaking. Don’t be too aggressive if you are disagreeing with someone. Express your feelings calmly and politely.
5) Make sure to bring the discussion on track:
If by any means group is distracting from the topic or goal then simply take initiative to bring the discussion on the track. Make all group members aware that you all need to come to some conclusion at the end of the discussion. So stick to the topic.
6) Positive attitude:
Be confident. Do not try to dominate anyone. Keep positive body language. Show interest in discussion.
7) Speak sensibly:
Do not speak just to increase your speaking time. Don’t worry even if you speak less. Your thoughts should be sensible and relevant instead of irrelevant speech.
8 ) Listen carefully to others:
Speak less and listen more! Pay attention while others are speaking. This will make coherent discussion and you will get involved in the group positively. You will surely make people agree with you.
9) No need to go into much details:
Some basic subject analysis is sufficient. No need to mention exact figures while giving any reference. You have limited time so be precise and convey your thoughts in short and simple language.
10) Formal dressing:
Do not take it casually. No fancy and funny dressing. You should be comfortable while speaking in group. Positive gesture and body language will make your work easy.
Follow these 10 simple rules to easily crack the GD
Few Group Discussion topics, with remarks, are mentioned below for your reference.
Time: 20 Mins
Rahul Reddy Started:
Good Morning everyone, it is my pleasure to be seated with you all for this exciting discussion. Let's fully participate in this and try to come up with a concrete end remark.
I think, it is not justified to think cricket as a national obsession. It is the one game through which we Indians are able to hold our heads high. We won two world cups and have been on top in tests for two odd years. Whatever it has brought is quite appreciable. In other sports as well, like Abhinav bindra winning gold medal in Olympics, Indian hockey team winning 8 gold medals in past, etc are also highly appreciated. But it is also a fact that it happened when TV's and internet are on full bloom. But, in 1983, when India won the world cup, the TV's were just becoming popular. Still, cricket fever was high on everyone's head. That made it more popular than any other sport. Every Indian wants to play cricket in streets. It is in Indian blood and no media is required for cricket. Cricket is, and will be the most popular sport in India although I hope other sports also will do well.
Smriti Nigam said:
Hello everyone, I do agree with my friend here.
Even I don't think that cricket have hurt any other sports. If cricket is more interesting, full of excitement, inculcating a nation patriotism feeling, then it is not the "SPORT'S" fault. I think it is just because cricket has a very interesting format and that is why it has become so popular and loved by all. It is followed as a religion and the cricketers are worshiped as God in our country. But also the fame that cricket has given to India, cannot be ignored. As far as other sports are concerned, they have not lost their importance. Whether it is tennis, badminton or hockey they are still very popular. But yes, it is a fact that cricket is more popular and followed by more people.
Himanshu said:
Good Morning friends,
I don't think cricket as a national obsession is a deterrent to other sports. Cricket has got popularity because of the legends cricket has given to us like sunil gavaskar, kapil dev, sachin tendulkar, etc. Just because of the achievement that these peoples have made in the game of cricket, it is appreciated so much in India. Recently, if we take an example, when Rajyawardhan Singh Rathore won silver in Olympics, just after that we won lots of medals in shooting. So, if we want others game to be equally appreciated, then we need some great legends in other games too. And I believe that if other sports will also produce great players then definitely they will get as much appreciation as cricket in this country.
Mayank Aggarwal said:
Hello Friends,
As the topic suggests, that cricket is detriment to other sports, I quite agree with it. It is because:
1) Cricket game is promoted by the way of advertisement.
2) Cricket sport stars are being seen in most of the advertisements related to cricket or promotion of any other product from honey to alcohol and potato chips to insurance.
3) One of the main reasons for the game of cricket being preferred is when there is a match between India and Pakistan. And the way it is advertised on the news make cricket not only detriment to other sports but to national peace.
4) In newspapers, most of the sports page is filled with cricket news, wherever it is held.
So, along with cricket, the Indian media too, is playing the role of detriment to other sports of India.
Media has the highest power today in our country. If it wishes, it can change the shape of sports too.
Abin Thomas said:
Hello everyone,
I don't, at all, think that cricket is a detriment to other sports. But, it is the Indian people's supportive spirit towards cricket is what is destructing other sports. Most people do not even know that India has teams in Hockey, Rugby, Soccer, Basketball, etc. It feels mortified extremely, to know that a huge nation like India does not support its athletes. I hope that we will recognize our athletes of all games and supports them in their respective sports.
Rahul Reddy said:
As I said earlier, according to me cricket is not at all detrimental to any other sports, it is suppressed by ourselves, we-the people are totally responsible for that. Well, I think that there is no comparison between 2 sports. Each has its own existence, so how can cricket suppress the other sports? It is just the matter of fact that Indian people are crazy about the cricket .So the comparison lies not in sports but in our thinking only. Few days ago, the Economic Times conducted a survey to find out who inspires the people in the field of sports and the results announced that almost -
43% people inspires with S R Tendulkar
35% people inspires with M S Dhoni
11% people inspires with S. Nehwal
04% people inspires with Vijendra Singh
04% people inspires with A. Bindra
This survey observed that a total of 78% people inspired by the cricketers, that shows the craziness of the people towards cricket.
Mayank Aggarwal said:
Well, I personally feel that obsession with cricket is a detriment to other sports. It is all because of the way it is promoted. It is just like in the case of a movie, if a movie is hyped about, all of us go to watch it. But on the same time some epic movie just gets neglected because of poor advertisement. Also, it is not the case that there is less talent in other sports. If other sports are unable to match up to the expectations, it is only because of improper training due to lack of finances.
Smriti Nigam said:
Well friends, although I like and support cricket a lot, I fell that, unintentionally only but cricket has come to a point from where it has become detrimental to other sports. You can see among yourself only, tha how many of us watches other sports played by Indian sportsmen. Of course, a handful! Why is it so? One definite reason could be the hype that cricket gets through the media. People not only watch the match with shear attention but also the pre and post-match shows. Other main reason is the investment of money either by the Government and/or, now as we can see, by the business individuals which lures young minds to have a great profession in cricket. Lastly, I would say that the Government should definitely see to this and take necessary measures to allow other sports perpetuate.
Abin Thomas Concluded:
Now, if we conclude our discussion I would like to highlight the main points that were discussed.
First: Majority of us agreed that the Game of Cricket, in itself, is not spoiling other streams of sports but it's the audience that goes crazy for its favorite sport.
Second: Media should give as much exposure to other sports as much it does to cricket.
Third: Government and Corporate people need to fund other sports as well so that they could get better training and bring home as much popularity as cricket does.
Remarks:
Team - A good team with members willing to participate as no one asked anyone to speak; rather everyone picked their own chance of entering the discussion.
Rahul:
Confident and aware of his stance
Knows how to take leadership
Started the discussion and paved the way throughout
Aware of current happenings
Believes in producing proper data
Strong chances of getting selected
Smriti:
Confident but loses her stance
Gets drifted by others persuasive arguments
Believes in accepting what comes along
Strong analyzing power
Does stand a chance to get selected
Himanshu:
Not very confident
Spoke only once in 20 mins
Believes in joining the bandwagon
Not in a habit of going through newspapers and thus not updated about sport stars.
Does not stand chance of selection
Mayank:
Extremely confident
Believes in walking down his own path
Very clear on his stance
Knows how to put across his points and views
High chance of selection
Abin:
Confident
Aware of current happenings
Patriotic
Analytical mind
Does stand a chance of selection
Time: 20 Mins
Pooja said:
A very good morning everyone! I feel very proud to be sitting here for this exciting discussion. I hope this will lead to a very productive exercise.
When it comes to predict that whether we will have a corruption free society or not, I would say it is not impossible but also very difficult to achieve as I strongly believe that corruption is the price we pay for democracy. Corruption is the abuse of power and consequently the people. It not only prevents enough money to go in the pockets of the people who need it, but makes it easy for the politicians to grab it all. This problem is not only prevalent in India, but also in developed countries. So, I think corruption is caused by greed, which is inevitable pull of emotion in humans.
Vishal said:
Hello Friends,
Corruption is NOT the price we pay for democracy. Thus, it is possible to have a corruption free society. If you think about it, being a democracy is the only thing that helps us put our views out here. A democratically elected government is answerable to the people, through the opposition party. Yes, there is rampant corruption in the society, not just in the government services, but also in private sector industries, such as Satyam. But think for a moment. A lot of money has been looted with a legal check on power. What if we had no rights to say what we want to? If there was no opposition, who would have pointed out the embarrassing flaws in the ruling party? The corrupt will have a license to do it in the open, and a lot more money would be taken away from each of us. Thus politicians can also help in discarding corruption from our system.
Akshita said:
Good Morning friends,
What I believe is that it is very easy to say, that corruption is unstoppable, and crack jokes about the corruption in India. But if none of us pay a bribe to anyone, try to use monetary power to cut corners, this is possible. Government agencies might refuse to work without your bribe, but if none of us pay a bribe and he still refuses to work, the whole system will collapse. He will not be able to take it after a point. This doesn't happen in a day, of course, but with a clear destination set in our minds, we can get there.
This won't be the first time when a mass public agitation will rise in the country, where the government seemed to be in power of everything. What it needs is persistence and non-cooperation of the public. Think of our fight for independence. Corruption was much more rampant, and the Englishmen were in control of all our government undertakings. We got them out of the country. It is possible to do that to corruption as well, we just need persistence and faith.
I also would like to mention that if corruption was the price paid for democracy, communist nations such as China wouldn't be corrupt, and they are ranked higher in the most corrupted nations list.
N Manish said:
Hello Friends,
I believe it is absolutely possible to have a corruption free society as we are the largest democratic country. We have many rights in our hands but as far as corruption is concerned democracy opposes it. If we know our rights and our responsibilities, we can surely throw away corruption from its roots. We have to change at first place because removing corruption is neither a one day job nor a one man's job. We must stop giving bribe in public offices, to traffic police, we all must abide by rules and regulation then only the cure of corruption is going to come.
Rushil said:
Friends,
What I believe is that democracy is not the price we pay for corruption but corruption is the consequences of unawareness of people towards this everyday topic of life. Corruption has to be stopped in any way and the main thing is to increase the awareness of common people towards this problem of bribes. The main power that could help in controlling this is the media. It could be the newspaper, TV or radio they have to start campaigns against this life taking disease. They can contribute a lot in creating a corruption free society.
Pooja Said:
Though India is a democratic country, we still have to pay to get what is our right. Corruption is the base for each and every evil thing that happens in India. Nowadays, we see news full of corruption scandals by leaders of the country who are ruling the country. Common man is responsible for the corruption, because he has no options left to complete his work without giving bribe. Corruption will not end unless there is awareness among the people regarding the bad consequences like hike in petrol prices, LPG, and other daily requirements which a common man has to pay for.
Akshita said:
Now-a-day we can't find a place where there is no corruption. But by the year 2020, world's 50% of the youth will be in India. If we blame others, nothing will happen and even corrupt people won't change. So we have to be mentally very strong and we must have the determination to make the India the powerful country in the world. That means not only in the sense of money, but we have to be respected by every person in the world due to our cultures and mind set. If we have the courage to achieve a corruption free society, then we will be the number one in the entire world. We should have the confidence that we can achieve anything, not only the corruption free society but also whatever we want to change in our society.
Rushil said:
Now, if you all will please allow me to sum up the discussion and put forth the important points as discussed.
We all agree that it is not impossible to achieve a corruption free society, provided, we, the citizen of India, takes an oath that now and in future we will try to make our country a better place to live.
Remarks:
Team - A good team with members willing to participate as no one asked anyone to speak; rather everyone picked their own chance of entering the discussion.
Pooja:
Confident and sharp
Strong determination
Knows how to take leadership
Knowledge wise, on a very superfluous level who believes politicians are the only problem
Chances of selection are not very bright
Vishal:
Very confident
Does not believe in joining the bandwagon
Has clarity of thought and to the point argument
Knows how to put forth his point
Although spoke only once, he outshines all the other
Very Strong chance of selection
Akshita:
Confident and sharp
Strong determination
Optimistic
Knowledgeable
Has clarity of thought and to the point argument
Knows how to put forth his point with excellent examples
Very Strong chance of selection
N Manish:
Not very confident
Presented loose points
Rephrased others comment
Not very bright chance of selection
Rushil:
Confident
Knows how to take leadership
Added a very valid point to the discussion
Optimistic
Knowledgeable
Analytical
Very bright chances of selection
Time: 20 mins
Pooja said:
A very Good Afternoon Friends. The topic, that we will discuss today, beholds the future of our country.
The reality of Primary Education in India is the entrenched system that perpetuates inequality. Thus, while mention of reservation for schedule castes and tribes and OBCs in institutes of higher learning leads to demonstrations and heated debates in the media, the pathetic state of primary education continues virtually unnoticed and unaddressed. And millions of Indian children still go to schools without buildings, without books and without teachers. This is the disheartening state of primary education in India and the Government should understand that whether there are seats reserved at higher levels for the disadvantaged matters little if they continue to be deprived of quality education at the entry level.
Aman said:
Hello friends,
I agree with what my friend has just stated that Government should focuses more on primary education so that it could come out of the wretched condition it is in. We can say that primary education is a root of tree. If a tree's root will not strong how will it grow. Elementary education should be given the highest priority because this is the child's stepping-stone. If they are able to undergo their elementary education, there is a great probability that they will not even continue up to high school, forget about higher degree colleges. The Government should remember that the journey to a thousand miles begins with the first step.
Sunil said:
Hello friends,
I also agree with my friends.
The present system of primary education does not serve the purpose for which it has been started by the Government. And in private schools, primary education itself has become so profitable a business that the quality is lost. The purpose of primary education for a child should be the all round development of his personality but the present day scenario of Indian primary education is neither imparting true knowledge of life & world to the students nor helping them in standing on their own legs which will help them achieve laurels in the field they are interested in.
Swati said:
Good Afternoon Friends.
I think the Indian primary educational system is lagging in all the respects. Whether its school building, teachers, updated study material or motivation for the poor students. This situation has proved the greatest barrier in the way of our progress. Primary or elementary education has remained basically a paper tiger and has not been realized properly. School buildings are non-existent in tribal and hilly areas, study materials are not up-to-date and poor parents and students are not properly motivated to avail of these educational facilities. This alone states the pathetic situation of Indian Primary Education System.
Saurabh said:
Hello friends,
Recently I saw a report on the situation of Primary Education in India in one of the leading newspapers. According to that report, about 20% of Indian children between the ages of 6 and 14 are not enrolled in school. Even among enrolled children, attendance rates are low and 26% of pupils enrolled in primary school drop out before Grade 5. The situation is worse in certain sectors of the population: the poor, those living in rural areas, girls, and those living in some states, such as Bihar and Rajasthan. Literacy rates are 21% lower for females than for males. Among those children aged 6 to 14 not enrolled in school, more than 60% are girls. Some communities do not see the need to educate daughters because they will be married off at an early age and live and work with their in-laws, mostly doing housework and raising children. These figures are proof enough for showing the dismal condition of our primary education.
Sunil said:
So now if we put our concluding remark, we all agree that the Government has failed to upgrade our primary education system to a large extent and primary education facilities are not yet available to all. Also, that before providing for higher degree colleges like IIT's and IIM's, Government should make sure that the students get the best of primary education which is in wretched situation for now.
Remarks:
Team - The whole team was on a very superfluous level and no any member tried to dig down into the real problem. Everyone was repeating the issue in their own words. Only Saurabh was seen backing his argument withsome data. All the other members discussed what it was already mentioned in the topic.
Also, no one discussed the following important topics:
Lok Jumbish and Shiksha Karmi Projects - Apart from DPEP, Lok Jumbish (Peoples' Movement) and Shiksha Karmi Projects are the other two important programmes, which are, received attention at the international level. Both these projects are under implementation in Rajasthan since 1992, which is one of the most educationally backward states of India. Lok Jumbish and Shiksha Karmi are funded by SIDA. The main objective of LJP is to achieve EFA through people's mobilization and participation. Whereas, SKP focuses its attention on universalisation and qualitative improvement of primary education in remote, arid area and socio-economically backward villages with primary attention given to girls.
Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) - The main goal of this program is that all children of 6-11 years of age should complete primary education by the year 2007 and all children of 6-14 years of age should complete eight years of schooling by 2010. This plan covers the whole country with special emphasis on girl education and education of Schedule Caste (SC) and Schedule Tribe (ST) children and children with special needs. The SSA centers are mainly opened in those areas, which do not have any school or where schools are very far off.
Operation Blackboard - It was started in 1987-88. The aim of this program is to improve human and physical resource availability in primary schools of India. According to this program every primary school should have at least two rooms, two teachers and essential teaching aids like blackboard, chalk, duster etc.
National Bal Bhavan - The National Bal Bhavan was opened with the aim of developing overall personalities of children of all strata of society irrespective of their caste, creed, religion and gender. It supplements school education by helping children to learn in play way and natural environment.
Special girl oriented programs like:
The chances of selection of any one from this team is not very bright.
Time: 20 mins
Pankaj said:
Hello Friends, this is a topic in which we, the youth of India, should take immense interest so that in future we are ready to face any kind of challenge proposed from China.
Chinese have been creating trouble in North Eastern States, giving training to insurgents, making their presence felt in strategic areas around India and giving massive military aid to Pak. China remains a bully knowing very well that India does not have an aggressive International policy and have no support from any of the major powers. We will have to shift our focus from Pakistan to China now. We are aware that Chinese are trying to minimize the Indian impact on South Asia by picking up Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and their 'all season friend' Pakistan. We need to strengthen and speed up our infrastructure projects in North-East Sector, Uttarakhand, Himachal and we can easily predict that Chinese incursion is the result of India's increasing efforts of deploying 60,000 soldiers along the border line with China. They are aware that they cannot compete with USA in the pacific region. So they are trying to create pressure in the Himalayas. We will have to give up "non-aligned' international diplomatic policy and have an aggressive International Policy against such countries.
Kirti said:
Hello friends,
And yes, you are right about the Chinese bullish behavior. According to its vision of a multi-polar world and a uni-polar Asia, it has continued to implement its encirclement strategy towards its strongest rival India. It continues to support its all weather friend Pakistan and help it in enlarging its nuclear arsenal. Recent reports have shown of an accelerated nuclear activity in Pakistan and also of the reports that china is helping Pakistan in modernizing its nuclear warheads with plutonium. It has also supplied Pakistan the conventional weaponry. Latest being JF-17 and J-10. China is also increasing challenging USN in the pacific theatre. It is building a robust AA/AD capability and with its massive naval modernization program, it seems to me a potential challenger to US. Therefore, I would also suggest an aggressive diplomatic posture, building of huge military infrastructure in north-east and ties with like mind nations like US, South Korea and Japan.
Ankit said:
I do agree with my friends here,
China is bullying India as this is obvious with the insurgent attacks by the Chinese forces. We know that Chinese have very good army and so we should be prepared to counter any infiltration by the Chinese forces. India is much focused in the border line across Pakistan and neglecting Chinese border. The BSF should be strengthened with much more arms and weaponry to counter foil infiltration bid.
Anurima said:
A very good morning to all of you. Although, the points that have been discussed so far are very true, but I believe, that only through military power, China or any other country can never defeat another country. This is in the case of India and China as well.
India surely enjoys a lead over China, thanks to its low cost model which is difficult to emulate, followed by the number of cost benefits such as the cheapest available manpower after countries like Argentina and Brazil, which makes the Indian software industry a more lucrative proposition.
India also scores over China as it enjoys the benefits of having the largest English speaking population (even more than the United Kingdom) which makes it easier for the Indian software experts to understand the demands of their foreign customers.
India also enjoys the lead thanks to the biggest pool of technocrats and engineers; it churns out more than 400000 engineering professionals every year and the efficiency of an Indian software graduate is considered more than above average as compared to software professionals belonging to any other part of the world as per the software industrial norms.
India's long-term potential may be greater than China's as the communist giant faces a shrinking work force due to its "one child policy" whereas India enjoys an ever increasing work force. Population, in this case, seems to act as a boon for the Indian software industry rather than a liability.
Manish said:
Good morning friends,
I believe China has bullied and toyed with India right since the Fifties. In 1962, the whole world knows what happened, but India wants to imagine that it never did, because till date it simply does not know how to formulate a proper response to what happened then, and to subsequent developments. China, on the other hand, recognized pretty early that in the long run India would pose a real threat to Chinese domination, even hegemony, in the region. Having done that, they have systematically worked to ensure that India remains a small player, so constantly harassed and fatigued by Pakistan that it has no time to even think about China till is too late.
Kirti said:
So now if we conclude our discussion, we certainly agree that China has been bullying India for a long time now. And that we need to be ready for any future action to be taken against such countries. But some very interesting points that came up is that India, although, is bearing China in a lot of things but there are few fields in which India still has, and will continue to have, its rule over China like low cost model, cheapest available manpower, benefits of having the largest English speaking population, biggest pool of technocrats and engineers and ever increasing work force.
Remarks:
Team - A very confident team with active participants who participated and put forth their points in a very confident manner.
Pankaj:
Confident and aware of his stance
Knows how to take leadership
Started the discussion and paved the right path
Aware of current happenings
Strong chances of getting selected
Kirti:
Confident but loses her stance
Gets drifted by others persuasive arguments
Believes in accepting what comes along
Strong analyzing power
Does stand a chance to get selected
Ankit:
Not very confident
Presented loose points
Rephrased others comment
Not very bright chance of selection
Anurima:
Very confident
Does not believe in joining the bandwagon
Has clarity of thought and to the point argument
Knows how to put forth his point
Although spoke only once, he outshines all the other
Very Strong chance of selection
Manish:
Confident and sharp
Strong determination
Knows how to take leadership
Knowledge wise, on a very superfluous level who believes politicians are the only problem
Chances of selection are not very bright
And there is reason too for giving huge importance for Group Discussion. First thing Group Discussion is used for mass elimination! And second thing group discussion selection criteria’s are based on actual company requirements.
Communication and Group Discussion skill are two relevant soft skills that are must for software testers.
Why group discussion should be the first criteria for selecting software testers?
Software tester requires communication with different people like team members, managers and customers. So interpersonal skill is very important for tester.
Yesterday one of our readers mailed me about her problem. She is very good at work but when it comes to taking credit for her work, someone else is taking the credit.
Why this is happening? She is lagging in interpersonal skills. Lagging in communication. She might be proficient in many skills, but what if she isn’t able to communicate her thoughts in front of her seniors or evaluators? Simply, she will lose the credits of her own work!
Making a good impression while speaking in meetings or interviews is the basic skill every professional should have. Let’s see how you can make this impression.
What skills are judged in group discussion?
- How good you are at communication with others.
- How you behave and interact with group.
- How open minded are you.
- Your listening skill.
- How you put forward your views.
- Your leadership and decision making skills.
- Your analysis skill and subject knowledge.
- Problem solving and critical thinking skill.
- Your attitude and confidence.
A Group Discussion consists of:
- Communication Skills
- Knowledge and ideas regarding a given subject
- Capability to co-ordinate and lead
- Exchange of thoughts
- Addressing the group as a whole
- Thorough preparations
The first aspect
is one's power of expression. In a group discussion, a candidate has to
talk effectively so that he is able to convince others. For convincing,
one has to speak forcefully and at the same time create an impact by
his knowledge of the subject. A candidate who is successful in holding
the attention of the audience creates a positive impact.
It is necessary
that you should be precise and clear. As a rule evaluators do not look
for the wordage produced. Your knowledge on a given subject, your
precision and clarity of thought are the things that are evaluated.
Irrelevant talks lead you nowhere. You should speak as much as
necessary, neither more nor less. Group discussions are not debating
stages.
Ability to
listen is also what evaluators judge. They look for your ability to
react on what other participants say. Hence, it is necessary that you
listen carefully to others and then react or proceed to add some more
points. Your behavior in the group is also put to test to judge
whether you are a loner or can work in a group.
You should be
able to convey your thoughts satisfactorily and convincingly before a
group of people. Confidence and level headedness in doing so is
necessary. These add value to your presentation. In case you are not
good at it, you might gain by joining an institute that offers
specialized courses in public speaking. For instance, British Council
Division's English Language Teaching Centre offers a wide range of
courses like conversation skills, business communication skills,
business writing, negotiation skills and presentation skills. Mostly
people attend these courses to improve their communication skills.
Students here are involved in activities which use communication skills
and teachers provide inputs, monitor and facilitate the classes. The course at the Centre makes you confident enough to speak before people without any nervousness.
Knowledge and Ideas Regarding a Given SubjectKnowledge of the subject under discussion and clarity of ideas are important. Knowledge comes from consistent reading on various topics ranging from science and technology to politics. In-depth knowledge makes one confident and enthusiastic and this in turn, makes one sound convincing and confident.
Leadership and Coordinating Capabilities
The basic aim of a group discussion is to judge a candidate's leadership qualities. The examiner withdraws and becomes a silent spectator once the discussion starts. A candidate should display tactfulness, skill, understanding and knowledge on varied topics, enterprise, forcefulness and other leadership qualities to motivate and influence other candidates who may be almost equally competent.
Exchange of Thoughts
A group discussion is an exchange of thoughts and ideas among members of a group. These discussions are held for selecting personnel in organizations where there is a high level of competition. The number of participants in a group can vary between 8 and 15. Mostly a topic or a situation is given to group members who have to discuss it within 10 to 20 minutes.
The purpose is to get an idea about candidates in a short time and make assessments about their skills, which normally cannot be evaluated in an interview. These skills may be team membership, leadership skills, listening and articulation skills.
A note is made of your contributions to the discussion, comprehension of the main idea, the rapport you strike, patience, assertion, accommodation, amenability, etc. Body language and eye contact too are important points which are to be considered. .
Addressing the Group as a Whole
In a group discussion it is not necessary to address anyone by name. Even otherwise you may not know everyone's names. It better to address the group as a whole.
Address the person farthest from you. If he can hear you everyone else too can. Needless to add, as for the interview, attend the group discussion in formal dress. The language used should also be formal, not the language used in normal conversations. For instance, words and phrases like "yar", "chalta hai", "CP", "I dunno", etc. are out. This is not to say you should use a high sounding, pedantic language. Avoiding both, just use formal, plain and simple language. Hinglish, (mixture of Hindi and English) should be discarded.
Confidence and coolness while presenting your viewpoint are of help. See that you do not keep repeating a point. Do not use more words than necessary. Do not be superfluous. Try to be specific. Do not exaggerate.
Thorough Preparation
Start making preparations for interview and group discussions right away, without waiting till the eleventh hour, this is, if and when called for them. Then the time left may not be adequate. It is important to concentrate on subject knowledge and general awareness. Hence, the prime need for thorough preparation. Remember, the competition is very tough. Only 460 candidates make it to the final list from 2.75 lakh civil service aspirants each year.
It may so happen that you are called for interviews and group discussions from three or four organizations but are not selected by any. The reason obviously lies in your not being well-prepared.
In a group discussion you may be given a topic and asked to express your views on it. Or in a case study GD, students have to read a case study and suggest ways of tackling the problem. For this you should have a good general knowledge, need to be abreast with current affairs, should regularly read newspapers and magazines. Your group behaviour and communication skills are on test, i.e. how you convince the others and how clearly you are able to express your points of view. You should be articulate, generate ideas, not sound boring, should allow others to speak, and adopt a stand on a given subject. During the course of the GD this stand can even be changed, giving the impression that you are open to accommodate others' viewpoints.
Additional marks may be given for starting or concluding the discussion.
Points to Remember
Knowledge is strength. A candidate with good reading habits has more chances of success. In other words, sound knowledge on different topics like politics, finance, economy, science and technology is helpful.
Power to convince effectively is another quality that makes you stand out among others.
Clarity in speech and expression is yet another essential quality.
If you are not sure about the topic of discussion, it is better not to initiate. Lack of knowledge or wrong approach creates a bad impression. Instead, you might adopt the wait and watch attitude. Listen attentively to others, may be you would be able to come up with a point or two later.
A GD is a formal occasion where slang is to avoided.
A GD is not a debating stage. Participants should confine themselves to expressing their viewpoints. In the second part of the discussion candidates can exercise their choice in agreeing, disagreeing or remaining neutral.
Language use should be simple, direct and straight forward.
Don't interrupt a speaker when the session is on. Try to score by increasing your size, not by cutting others short.
Maintain rapport with fellow participants. Eye contact plays a major role. Non-verbal gestures, such as listening intently or nodding while appreciating someone's viewpoint speak of you positively.
Communicate with each and every candidate present. While speaking don't keep looking at a single member. Address the entire group in such a way that everyone feels you are speaking to him or her.
GD Tips
Initiation Techniques
Initiating a GD is a high profit-high loss strategy.
When you initiate a GD, you not only grab the opportunity to speak, you also grab the attention of the examiner and your fellow candidates.
If you can make a favourable first impression with your content and communication skills after you initiate a GD, it will help you sail through the discussion.
But if you initiate a GD and stammer/ stutter/ quote wrong facts and figures, the damage might be irreparable.
If you initiate a GD impeccably but don't speak much after that, it gives the impression that you started the GD for the sake of starting it or getting those initial kitty of points earmarked for an initiator!
When you start a GD, you are responsible for putting it into the right perspective or framework. So initiate one only if you have in-depth knowledge about the topic at hand.
Body of the group discussion
Different techniques to initiate a GD and make a good first impression:
i. Quotes
ii. Definition
iii. Question
iv. Shock statement
v. Facts, figures and statistics
vi. Short story
vii.General statement
i. Quotes
Quotes are an effective way of initiating a GD.
If the topic of a GD is: Should the Censor Board be abolished?, you could start with a quote like, 'Hidden apples are always sweet'.
For a GD topic like, Customer is King, you could quote Sam (Wall-mart) Walton's famous saying, 'There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company -- from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.'
ii. Definition
Start a GD by defining the topic or an important term in the topic.
For example, if the topic of the GD is Advertising is a Diplomatic Way of Telling a Lie, why not start the GD by defining advertising as, 'Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services through mass media like newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor'?
For a topic like The Malthusian Economic Prophecy is no longer relevant, you could start by explaining the definition of the Malthusian Economic Prophecy.
iii. Question
Asking a question is an impact way of starting a GD.
It does not signify asking a question to any of the candidates in a GD so as to hamper the flow. It implies asking a question, and answering it yourself.
Any question that might hamper the flow of a GD or insult a participant or play devil's advocate must be discouraged.
Questions that promote a flow of ideas are always appreciated.
For a topic like, Should India go to war with Pakistan, you could start by asking, 'What does war bring to the people of a nation? We have had four clashes with Pakistan. The pertinent question is: what have we achieved?'
iv. Shock statement
Initiating a GD with a shocking statement is the best way to grab immediate attention and put forth your point.
If a GD topic is, The Impact of Population on the Indian Economy, you could start with, 'At the centre of the Indian capital stands a population clock that ticks away relentlessly. It tracks 33 births a minute, 2,000 an hour, 48,000 a day. Which calculates to about 12 million every year. That is roughly the size of Australia. As a current political slogan puts it, 'Nothing's impossible when 1 billion Indians work together'.'
v. Facts, figures and statistics
If you decide to initiate your GD with facts, figure and statistics, make sure to quote them accurately.
Approximation is allowed in macro level figures, but micro level figures need to be correct and accurate.
For example, you can say, approximately 70 per cent of the Indian population stays in rural areas (macro figures, approximation allowed).
But you cannot say 30 states of India instead of 28 (micro figures, no approximations).
Stating wrong facts works to your disadvantage.
For a GD topic like, China, a Rising Tiger, you could start with, 'In 1983, when China was still in its initial stages of reform and opening up, China's real use of Foreign Direct Investment only stood at $636 million. China actually utilized $60 billion of FID in 2004, which is almost 100 times that of its 1983 statistics."
vi. Short story
Use a short story in a GD topic like, Attitude is Everything.
This can be initiated with, 'A child once asked a balloon vendor, who was selling helium gas-filled balloons, whether a blue-colored balloon will go as high in the sky as a green-colored balloon. The balloon vendor told the child, it is not the color of the balloon but what is inside it that makes it go high.'
vii. General statement
Use a general statement to put the GD in proper perspective.
For example, if the topic is, Should Sonia Gandhi be the prime minister of India?, you could start by saying, 'Before jumping to conclusions like, 'Yes, Sonia Gandhi should be', or 'No, Sonia Gandhi should not be', let's first find out the qualities one needs to be a a good prime minister of India. Then we can compare these qualities with those that Mrs. Gandhi possesses. This will help us reach the conclusion in a more objective and effective manner.'
Summarization/ Conclusion
Most GD do not really have conclusions. A conclusion is where the whole group decides in favor or against the topic.
But every GD is summarized. You can summaries what the group has discussed in the GD in a nutshell.
Keep the following points in mind while summarizing a discussion:
Do’s and Don’ts of Group discussion:
1) Keep eye contact while speaking:
Do not look at the evaluators only. Keep eye contact with every team member while speaking.
2) Initiate the GD:
Initiating the GD is a big plus. But keep in mind – Initiate the group discussion only when you understood the GD topic clearly and have some topic knowledge. Speaking without proper subject knowledge is bad impression.
3) Allow others to speak:
Do not interrupt anyone in-between while speaking. Even if you don’t agree with his/her thoughts do not snatch their chance to speak. Instead make some notes and clear the points when it’s your turn.
4) Speak clearly:
Speak politely and clearly. Use simple and understandable words while speaking. Don’t be too aggressive if you are disagreeing with someone. Express your feelings calmly and politely.
5) Make sure to bring the discussion on track:
If by any means group is distracting from the topic or goal then simply take initiative to bring the discussion on the track. Make all group members aware that you all need to come to some conclusion at the end of the discussion. So stick to the topic.
6) Positive attitude:
Be confident. Do not try to dominate anyone. Keep positive body language. Show interest in discussion.
7) Speak sensibly:
Do not speak just to increase your speaking time. Don’t worry even if you speak less. Your thoughts should be sensible and relevant instead of irrelevant speech.
8 ) Listen carefully to others:
Speak less and listen more! Pay attention while others are speaking. This will make coherent discussion and you will get involved in the group positively. You will surely make people agree with you.
9) No need to go into much details:
Some basic subject analysis is sufficient. No need to mention exact figures while giving any reference. You have limited time so be precise and convey your thoughts in short and simple language.
10) Formal dressing:
Do not take it casually. No fancy and funny dressing. You should be comfortable while speaking in group. Positive gesture and body language will make your work easy.
Follow these 10 simple rules to easily crack the GD
Few Group Discussion topics, with remarks, are mentioned below for your reference.
CRICKET HAS SPOILED OTHER STREAMS OF INDIAN SPORTS
Number of participants: 5Time: 20 Mins
Rahul Reddy Started:
Good Morning everyone, it is my pleasure to be seated with you all for this exciting discussion. Let's fully participate in this and try to come up with a concrete end remark.
I think, it is not justified to think cricket as a national obsession. It is the one game through which we Indians are able to hold our heads high. We won two world cups and have been on top in tests for two odd years. Whatever it has brought is quite appreciable. In other sports as well, like Abhinav bindra winning gold medal in Olympics, Indian hockey team winning 8 gold medals in past, etc are also highly appreciated. But it is also a fact that it happened when TV's and internet are on full bloom. But, in 1983, when India won the world cup, the TV's were just becoming popular. Still, cricket fever was high on everyone's head. That made it more popular than any other sport. Every Indian wants to play cricket in streets. It is in Indian blood and no media is required for cricket. Cricket is, and will be the most popular sport in India although I hope other sports also will do well.
Smriti Nigam said:
Hello everyone, I do agree with my friend here.
Even I don't think that cricket have hurt any other sports. If cricket is more interesting, full of excitement, inculcating a nation patriotism feeling, then it is not the "SPORT'S" fault. I think it is just because cricket has a very interesting format and that is why it has become so popular and loved by all. It is followed as a religion and the cricketers are worshiped as God in our country. But also the fame that cricket has given to India, cannot be ignored. As far as other sports are concerned, they have not lost their importance. Whether it is tennis, badminton or hockey they are still very popular. But yes, it is a fact that cricket is more popular and followed by more people.
Himanshu said:
Good Morning friends,
I don't think cricket as a national obsession is a deterrent to other sports. Cricket has got popularity because of the legends cricket has given to us like sunil gavaskar, kapil dev, sachin tendulkar, etc. Just because of the achievement that these peoples have made in the game of cricket, it is appreciated so much in India. Recently, if we take an example, when Rajyawardhan Singh Rathore won silver in Olympics, just after that we won lots of medals in shooting. So, if we want others game to be equally appreciated, then we need some great legends in other games too. And I believe that if other sports will also produce great players then definitely they will get as much appreciation as cricket in this country.
Mayank Aggarwal said:
Hello Friends,
As the topic suggests, that cricket is detriment to other sports, I quite agree with it. It is because:
1) Cricket game is promoted by the way of advertisement.
2) Cricket sport stars are being seen in most of the advertisements related to cricket or promotion of any other product from honey to alcohol and potato chips to insurance.
3) One of the main reasons for the game of cricket being preferred is when there is a match between India and Pakistan. And the way it is advertised on the news make cricket not only detriment to other sports but to national peace.
4) In newspapers, most of the sports page is filled with cricket news, wherever it is held.
So, along with cricket, the Indian media too, is playing the role of detriment to other sports of India.
Media has the highest power today in our country. If it wishes, it can change the shape of sports too.
Abin Thomas said:
Hello everyone,
I don't, at all, think that cricket is a detriment to other sports. But, it is the Indian people's supportive spirit towards cricket is what is destructing other sports. Most people do not even know that India has teams in Hockey, Rugby, Soccer, Basketball, etc. It feels mortified extremely, to know that a huge nation like India does not support its athletes. I hope that we will recognize our athletes of all games and supports them in their respective sports.
Rahul Reddy said:
As I said earlier, according to me cricket is not at all detrimental to any other sports, it is suppressed by ourselves, we-the people are totally responsible for that. Well, I think that there is no comparison between 2 sports. Each has its own existence, so how can cricket suppress the other sports? It is just the matter of fact that Indian people are crazy about the cricket .So the comparison lies not in sports but in our thinking only. Few days ago, the Economic Times conducted a survey to find out who inspires the people in the field of sports and the results announced that almost -
43% people inspires with S R Tendulkar
35% people inspires with M S Dhoni
11% people inspires with S. Nehwal
04% people inspires with Vijendra Singh
04% people inspires with A. Bindra
This survey observed that a total of 78% people inspired by the cricketers, that shows the craziness of the people towards cricket.
Mayank Aggarwal said:
Well, I personally feel that obsession with cricket is a detriment to other sports. It is all because of the way it is promoted. It is just like in the case of a movie, if a movie is hyped about, all of us go to watch it. But on the same time some epic movie just gets neglected because of poor advertisement. Also, it is not the case that there is less talent in other sports. If other sports are unable to match up to the expectations, it is only because of improper training due to lack of finances.
Smriti Nigam said:
Well friends, although I like and support cricket a lot, I fell that, unintentionally only but cricket has come to a point from where it has become detrimental to other sports. You can see among yourself only, tha how many of us watches other sports played by Indian sportsmen. Of course, a handful! Why is it so? One definite reason could be the hype that cricket gets through the media. People not only watch the match with shear attention but also the pre and post-match shows. Other main reason is the investment of money either by the Government and/or, now as we can see, by the business individuals which lures young minds to have a great profession in cricket. Lastly, I would say that the Government should definitely see to this and take necessary measures to allow other sports perpetuate.
Abin Thomas Concluded:
Now, if we conclude our discussion I would like to highlight the main points that were discussed.
First: Majority of us agreed that the Game of Cricket, in itself, is not spoiling other streams of sports but it's the audience that goes crazy for its favorite sport.
Second: Media should give as much exposure to other sports as much it does to cricket.
Third: Government and Corporate people need to fund other sports as well so that they could get better training and bring home as much popularity as cricket does.
Remarks:
Team - A good team with members willing to participate as no one asked anyone to speak; rather everyone picked their own chance of entering the discussion.
Rahul:
Confident and aware of his stance
Knows how to take leadership
Started the discussion and paved the way throughout
Aware of current happenings
Believes in producing proper data
Strong chances of getting selected
Smriti:
Confident but loses her stance
Gets drifted by others persuasive arguments
Believes in accepting what comes along
Strong analyzing power
Does stand a chance to get selected
Himanshu:
Not very confident
Spoke only once in 20 mins
Believes in joining the bandwagon
Not in a habit of going through newspapers and thus not updated about sport stars.
Does not stand chance of selection
Mayank:
Extremely confident
Believes in walking down his own path
Very clear on his stance
Knows how to put across his points and views
High chance of selection
Abin:
Confident
Aware of current happenings
Patriotic
Analytical mind
Does stand a chance of selection
WE WILL NEVER BE CORRUPTION FREE SOCIETY
Number of Participants: 5Time: 20 Mins
Pooja said:
A very good morning everyone! I feel very proud to be sitting here for this exciting discussion. I hope this will lead to a very productive exercise.
When it comes to predict that whether we will have a corruption free society or not, I would say it is not impossible but also very difficult to achieve as I strongly believe that corruption is the price we pay for democracy. Corruption is the abuse of power and consequently the people. It not only prevents enough money to go in the pockets of the people who need it, but makes it easy for the politicians to grab it all. This problem is not only prevalent in India, but also in developed countries. So, I think corruption is caused by greed, which is inevitable pull of emotion in humans.
Vishal said:
Hello Friends,
Corruption is NOT the price we pay for democracy. Thus, it is possible to have a corruption free society. If you think about it, being a democracy is the only thing that helps us put our views out here. A democratically elected government is answerable to the people, through the opposition party. Yes, there is rampant corruption in the society, not just in the government services, but also in private sector industries, such as Satyam. But think for a moment. A lot of money has been looted with a legal check on power. What if we had no rights to say what we want to? If there was no opposition, who would have pointed out the embarrassing flaws in the ruling party? The corrupt will have a license to do it in the open, and a lot more money would be taken away from each of us. Thus politicians can also help in discarding corruption from our system.
Akshita said:
Good Morning friends,
What I believe is that it is very easy to say, that corruption is unstoppable, and crack jokes about the corruption in India. But if none of us pay a bribe to anyone, try to use monetary power to cut corners, this is possible. Government agencies might refuse to work without your bribe, but if none of us pay a bribe and he still refuses to work, the whole system will collapse. He will not be able to take it after a point. This doesn't happen in a day, of course, but with a clear destination set in our minds, we can get there.
This won't be the first time when a mass public agitation will rise in the country, where the government seemed to be in power of everything. What it needs is persistence and non-cooperation of the public. Think of our fight for independence. Corruption was much more rampant, and the Englishmen were in control of all our government undertakings. We got them out of the country. It is possible to do that to corruption as well, we just need persistence and faith.
I also would like to mention that if corruption was the price paid for democracy, communist nations such as China wouldn't be corrupt, and they are ranked higher in the most corrupted nations list.
N Manish said:
Hello Friends,
I believe it is absolutely possible to have a corruption free society as we are the largest democratic country. We have many rights in our hands but as far as corruption is concerned democracy opposes it. If we know our rights and our responsibilities, we can surely throw away corruption from its roots. We have to change at first place because removing corruption is neither a one day job nor a one man's job. We must stop giving bribe in public offices, to traffic police, we all must abide by rules and regulation then only the cure of corruption is going to come.
Rushil said:
Friends,
What I believe is that democracy is not the price we pay for corruption but corruption is the consequences of unawareness of people towards this everyday topic of life. Corruption has to be stopped in any way and the main thing is to increase the awareness of common people towards this problem of bribes. The main power that could help in controlling this is the media. It could be the newspaper, TV or radio they have to start campaigns against this life taking disease. They can contribute a lot in creating a corruption free society.
Pooja Said:
Though India is a democratic country, we still have to pay to get what is our right. Corruption is the base for each and every evil thing that happens in India. Nowadays, we see news full of corruption scandals by leaders of the country who are ruling the country. Common man is responsible for the corruption, because he has no options left to complete his work without giving bribe. Corruption will not end unless there is awareness among the people regarding the bad consequences like hike in petrol prices, LPG, and other daily requirements which a common man has to pay for.
Akshita said:
Now-a-day we can't find a place where there is no corruption. But by the year 2020, world's 50% of the youth will be in India. If we blame others, nothing will happen and even corrupt people won't change. So we have to be mentally very strong and we must have the determination to make the India the powerful country in the world. That means not only in the sense of money, but we have to be respected by every person in the world due to our cultures and mind set. If we have the courage to achieve a corruption free society, then we will be the number one in the entire world. We should have the confidence that we can achieve anything, not only the corruption free society but also whatever we want to change in our society.
Rushil said:
Now, if you all will please allow me to sum up the discussion and put forth the important points as discussed.
We all agree that it is not impossible to achieve a corruption free society, provided, we, the citizen of India, takes an oath that now and in future we will try to make our country a better place to live.
Remarks:
Team - A good team with members willing to participate as no one asked anyone to speak; rather everyone picked their own chance of entering the discussion.
Pooja:
Confident and sharp
Strong determination
Knows how to take leadership
Knowledge wise, on a very superfluous level who believes politicians are the only problem
Chances of selection are not very bright
Vishal:
Very confident
Does not believe in joining the bandwagon
Has clarity of thought and to the point argument
Knows how to put forth his point
Although spoke only once, he outshines all the other
Very Strong chance of selection
Akshita:
Confident and sharp
Strong determination
Optimistic
Knowledgeable
Has clarity of thought and to the point argument
Knows how to put forth his point with excellent examples
Very Strong chance of selection
N Manish:
Not very confident
Presented loose points
Rephrased others comment
Not very bright chance of selection
Rushil:
Confident
Knows how to take leadership
Added a very valid point to the discussion
Optimistic
Knowledgeable
Analytical
Very bright chances of selection
INDIAN PRIMARY EDUCATION IS PATHETIC
Number of Participants: 5Time: 20 mins
Pooja said:
A very Good Afternoon Friends. The topic, that we will discuss today, beholds the future of our country.
The reality of Primary Education in India is the entrenched system that perpetuates inequality. Thus, while mention of reservation for schedule castes and tribes and OBCs in institutes of higher learning leads to demonstrations and heated debates in the media, the pathetic state of primary education continues virtually unnoticed and unaddressed. And millions of Indian children still go to schools without buildings, without books and without teachers. This is the disheartening state of primary education in India and the Government should understand that whether there are seats reserved at higher levels for the disadvantaged matters little if they continue to be deprived of quality education at the entry level.
Aman said:
Hello friends,
I agree with what my friend has just stated that Government should focuses more on primary education so that it could come out of the wretched condition it is in. We can say that primary education is a root of tree. If a tree's root will not strong how will it grow. Elementary education should be given the highest priority because this is the child's stepping-stone. If they are able to undergo their elementary education, there is a great probability that they will not even continue up to high school, forget about higher degree colleges. The Government should remember that the journey to a thousand miles begins with the first step.
Sunil said:
Hello friends,
I also agree with my friends.
The present system of primary education does not serve the purpose for which it has been started by the Government. And in private schools, primary education itself has become so profitable a business that the quality is lost. The purpose of primary education for a child should be the all round development of his personality but the present day scenario of Indian primary education is neither imparting true knowledge of life & world to the students nor helping them in standing on their own legs which will help them achieve laurels in the field they are interested in.
Swati said:
Good Afternoon Friends.
I think the Indian primary educational system is lagging in all the respects. Whether its school building, teachers, updated study material or motivation for the poor students. This situation has proved the greatest barrier in the way of our progress. Primary or elementary education has remained basically a paper tiger and has not been realized properly. School buildings are non-existent in tribal and hilly areas, study materials are not up-to-date and poor parents and students are not properly motivated to avail of these educational facilities. This alone states the pathetic situation of Indian Primary Education System.
Saurabh said:
Hello friends,
Recently I saw a report on the situation of Primary Education in India in one of the leading newspapers. According to that report, about 20% of Indian children between the ages of 6 and 14 are not enrolled in school. Even among enrolled children, attendance rates are low and 26% of pupils enrolled in primary school drop out before Grade 5. The situation is worse in certain sectors of the population: the poor, those living in rural areas, girls, and those living in some states, such as Bihar and Rajasthan. Literacy rates are 21% lower for females than for males. Among those children aged 6 to 14 not enrolled in school, more than 60% are girls. Some communities do not see the need to educate daughters because they will be married off at an early age and live and work with their in-laws, mostly doing housework and raising children. These figures are proof enough for showing the dismal condition of our primary education.
Sunil said:
So now if we put our concluding remark, we all agree that the Government has failed to upgrade our primary education system to a large extent and primary education facilities are not yet available to all. Also, that before providing for higher degree colleges like IIT's and IIM's, Government should make sure that the students get the best of primary education which is in wretched situation for now.
Remarks:
Team - The whole team was on a very superfluous level and no any member tried to dig down into the real problem. Everyone was repeating the issue in their own words. Only Saurabh was seen backing his argument withsome data. All the other members discussed what it was already mentioned in the topic.
Also, no one discussed the following important topics:
- How to handle this situation?
- What actually Government is doing and what should it do differently?
- Innovative Projects and Programs like -
Lok Jumbish and Shiksha Karmi Projects - Apart from DPEP, Lok Jumbish (Peoples' Movement) and Shiksha Karmi Projects are the other two important programmes, which are, received attention at the international level. Both these projects are under implementation in Rajasthan since 1992, which is one of the most educationally backward states of India. Lok Jumbish and Shiksha Karmi are funded by SIDA. The main objective of LJP is to achieve EFA through people's mobilization and participation. Whereas, SKP focuses its attention on universalisation and qualitative improvement of primary education in remote, arid area and socio-economically backward villages with primary attention given to girls.
Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) - The main goal of this program is that all children of 6-11 years of age should complete primary education by the year 2007 and all children of 6-14 years of age should complete eight years of schooling by 2010. This plan covers the whole country with special emphasis on girl education and education of Schedule Caste (SC) and Schedule Tribe (ST) children and children with special needs. The SSA centers are mainly opened in those areas, which do not have any school or where schools are very far off.
Operation Blackboard - It was started in 1987-88. The aim of this program is to improve human and physical resource availability in primary schools of India. According to this program every primary school should have at least two rooms, two teachers and essential teaching aids like blackboard, chalk, duster etc.
National Bal Bhavan - The National Bal Bhavan was opened with the aim of developing overall personalities of children of all strata of society irrespective of their caste, creed, religion and gender. It supplements school education by helping children to learn in play way and natural environment.
Special girl oriented programs like:
- Girl education at elementary level.
- National Program for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL)
- Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV)
- Mahila Samakhya Scheme
The chances of selection of any one from this team is not very bright.
CHINA BULLIES INDIA
Number of Participants: 5Time: 20 mins
Pankaj said:
Hello Friends, this is a topic in which we, the youth of India, should take immense interest so that in future we are ready to face any kind of challenge proposed from China.
Chinese have been creating trouble in North Eastern States, giving training to insurgents, making their presence felt in strategic areas around India and giving massive military aid to Pak. China remains a bully knowing very well that India does not have an aggressive International policy and have no support from any of the major powers. We will have to shift our focus from Pakistan to China now. We are aware that Chinese are trying to minimize the Indian impact on South Asia by picking up Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and their 'all season friend' Pakistan. We need to strengthen and speed up our infrastructure projects in North-East Sector, Uttarakhand, Himachal and we can easily predict that Chinese incursion is the result of India's increasing efforts of deploying 60,000 soldiers along the border line with China. They are aware that they cannot compete with USA in the pacific region. So they are trying to create pressure in the Himalayas. We will have to give up "non-aligned' international diplomatic policy and have an aggressive International Policy against such countries.
Kirti said:
Hello friends,
And yes, you are right about the Chinese bullish behavior. According to its vision of a multi-polar world and a uni-polar Asia, it has continued to implement its encirclement strategy towards its strongest rival India. It continues to support its all weather friend Pakistan and help it in enlarging its nuclear arsenal. Recent reports have shown of an accelerated nuclear activity in Pakistan and also of the reports that china is helping Pakistan in modernizing its nuclear warheads with plutonium. It has also supplied Pakistan the conventional weaponry. Latest being JF-17 and J-10. China is also increasing challenging USN in the pacific theatre. It is building a robust AA/AD capability and with its massive naval modernization program, it seems to me a potential challenger to US. Therefore, I would also suggest an aggressive diplomatic posture, building of huge military infrastructure in north-east and ties with like mind nations like US, South Korea and Japan.
Ankit said:
I do agree with my friends here,
China is bullying India as this is obvious with the insurgent attacks by the Chinese forces. We know that Chinese have very good army and so we should be prepared to counter any infiltration by the Chinese forces. India is much focused in the border line across Pakistan and neglecting Chinese border. The BSF should be strengthened with much more arms and weaponry to counter foil infiltration bid.
Anurima said:
A very good morning to all of you. Although, the points that have been discussed so far are very true, but I believe, that only through military power, China or any other country can never defeat another country. This is in the case of India and China as well.
India surely enjoys a lead over China, thanks to its low cost model which is difficult to emulate, followed by the number of cost benefits such as the cheapest available manpower after countries like Argentina and Brazil, which makes the Indian software industry a more lucrative proposition.
India also scores over China as it enjoys the benefits of having the largest English speaking population (even more than the United Kingdom) which makes it easier for the Indian software experts to understand the demands of their foreign customers.
India also enjoys the lead thanks to the biggest pool of technocrats and engineers; it churns out more than 400000 engineering professionals every year and the efficiency of an Indian software graduate is considered more than above average as compared to software professionals belonging to any other part of the world as per the software industrial norms.
India's long-term potential may be greater than China's as the communist giant faces a shrinking work force due to its "one child policy" whereas India enjoys an ever increasing work force. Population, in this case, seems to act as a boon for the Indian software industry rather than a liability.
Manish said:
Good morning friends,
I believe China has bullied and toyed with India right since the Fifties. In 1962, the whole world knows what happened, but India wants to imagine that it never did, because till date it simply does not know how to formulate a proper response to what happened then, and to subsequent developments. China, on the other hand, recognized pretty early that in the long run India would pose a real threat to Chinese domination, even hegemony, in the region. Having done that, they have systematically worked to ensure that India remains a small player, so constantly harassed and fatigued by Pakistan that it has no time to even think about China till is too late.
Kirti said:
So now if we conclude our discussion, we certainly agree that China has been bullying India for a long time now. And that we need to be ready for any future action to be taken against such countries. But some very interesting points that came up is that India, although, is bearing China in a lot of things but there are few fields in which India still has, and will continue to have, its rule over China like low cost model, cheapest available manpower, benefits of having the largest English speaking population, biggest pool of technocrats and engineers and ever increasing work force.
Remarks:
Team - A very confident team with active participants who participated and put forth their points in a very confident manner.
Pankaj:
Confident and aware of his stance
Knows how to take leadership
Started the discussion and paved the right path
Aware of current happenings
Strong chances of getting selected
Kirti:
Confident but loses her stance
Gets drifted by others persuasive arguments
Believes in accepting what comes along
Strong analyzing power
Does stand a chance to get selected
Ankit:
Not very confident
Presented loose points
Rephrased others comment
Not very bright chance of selection
Anurima:
Very confident
Does not believe in joining the bandwagon
Has clarity of thought and to the point argument
Knows how to put forth his point
Although spoke only once, he outshines all the other
Very Strong chance of selection
Manish:
Confident and sharp
Strong determination
Knows how to take leadership
Knowledge wise, on a very superfluous level who believes politicians are the only problem
Chances of selection are not very bright
No comments:
Post a Comment